Bandh hits normal life in Jammu

Normal life remained badly affected on Friday as shops and market places were closed and vehicles off the roads in response to a bandh over the Amarnath land transfer issue.

The bandh, called by Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS) to demand transfer forest land to the Shrine board, entered the 62nd day on Friday amid no signs of immediate rapprochement between the Samiti and the government.

However, talks between the two sides are slated to resume later in the day with the Samiti agreeing to sit for the fourth round of dialogue the governor-appointed committee.

Educational institutions and banks also remained badly affected and attendance in government offices was thin because of skeleton transport facilities.

Traffic plied on national highway where authorities have imposed prohibitory orders and army has been given the charge for movement of trucks from Lakhanpur to Jawahar tunnel, official sources said.

On the request of SAYSS, which is spearheading the ongoing agitation, people have started community kitchens for providing food to labourers and other poor people in different parts of Jammu city.

As daily wage earning labourers are not engaged in any gainful activity due to closure of industries and absence of other work, they get food from these community kitchens.

Some social organisations have also been distributing dry rations and vegetables in various localities of the city and other district headquarters to the poor.

Curfew continued in Poonch town for seventh consecutive day on Friday. It had been relaxed for one hour from 10 AM on Thursday to enable people to buy essential commodities.

Curfew was clamped in the town on August 23 in the wake of clashes between two communities during which about 40 shops were burnt and 20 others damaged.

As the situation had deteriorated, the authorities had called out the army which conducted flag marches to maintain law and order.

Police and para military personnel continued to remain deployed in the town to prevent any untoward incident.

In Kishtwar town, night curfew continued as a precautionary measure. It was clamped in the township on August 12 after incidents of communal violence in which two persons were killed and several others injured.